Tag: O.co Coliseum

Bay Bridge series continues as the Giants visit the A’s this weekend

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Photo credit: @KPODFM

By Jeremy Harness

The Giants are in the thick of things in the National league playoff race, and that they have a good chance to make it back to the postseason for the first time in two years.

But they have two things immediately standing in their way.

The Oakland A’s will be waiting for them on Friday when the regular season resumes, and that just like the Giants, they are making a huge resurgence, and they also have a chance to make the playoffs, for the first time in four years.

Dereck Rodriguez will take the hill in Friday’s opener at the Oakland Coliseum, and the rookie has made a huge impression on the Giants’ brass and stands a great chance to be a fixture in the starting rotation for years to come.

Madison Bumgarner, who is still making his way back to his form after missing the first two months of the season with a fracture in his pitching hand.

Johnny Cueto, who has missed significant time with an injury to his pitching elbow, will take the ball Sunday afternoon. The A’s, on the other hand, have not announced their starters for this weekend’s series.

The Giants are four games back of the division lead at this point, while the A’s are eight games back of the American League West-leading Houston Astros and are three games behind the second-place Seattle Mariners.

A’s are the surprise American League team right now

Published on by rxsluggerLeave a comment

Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The second half of the 2018 season begins on Friday when the Oakland A’s host the San Francisco Giants for three games at the Oakland Coliseum. The A’s, without question, are one of the biggest surprises in the MLB this season. They’ll resume their quest to make the playoffs. The A’s, picked by many pundits to finish last in the American League West and win no more than 67 games, are sitting in third place in the AL West and just three games behind the Seattle Mariners in the quest for the second Wild Card seed.

The A’s went 7-3 on the 10-game road trip just before the All-Star break and picked up four games on the Mariners, who went 3-7 in their last 10 games. The A’s won two out three at Cleveland then won three out of four from the Houston Astros. They almost had a sweep, but they lost a game on a very unusual play that most fans and people in the media cannot recall ever seeing. But the A’s refused to fold. They regained their composure and were able to hold their own with the Astros. The Astros arguably have the best starting rotation in baseball. The A’s were unfazed as they faced Gerrit Cole, Justin, Verlander, Lance McCullers, and Charlie Morton. They then finished the trip by winning two out three against the Giants.

The A’s, under manager Bob Melvin, shows no sign of quitting. They are very resilient and play with a ton of confidence. They know that no game is out of reach and that they have shown a propensity for scoring runs late in the game.

The starting rotation has been a work in progress all season. The A’s were counting on Jharel Cotton and A.J. Puk to be in the starting rotation. Both players are on the DL as they have had season-ending Tommy John surgeries. Paul Blackburn, Daniel Gossett, Daniel Mengden, and Andrew Triggs have all been sidelined due to injury. Mengden is off the DL, but has been optioned back to the Nashville Sounds.

The A’s current rotation consists of lefties Sean Manaea and Brett Anderson. Edwin Jackson, Trevor Cahill and Frankie Montas are the right-handed starters. Cahill and Anderson have spent time on the DL. Both have had a couple of good games, but have not been consistent. Montas is 5-2 and has impressed even the biggest critics.

The A’s bullpen has been one of the best in baseball. Emilio Pagan, Yusmeiro Petit, Ryan Buchter, Lou Trivino, and Blake Treinen have been outstanding. Chris Hatcher did well earlier in the season, but has not been effective lately. Ryan Dull and Danny Coulombe did not do the job, and both are in Nashville. Liam Hendriks and Santiago Casilla have been designated for assignment and are probably not in the A’s upcoming plans. The A’s added lefty Jeremy Bleich and righty J.B. Wendelken, but they have to prove that they can stay in Oakland.

The A’s offense is led by Jed Lowrie. Lowrie, at age 34, made the All-Star team this year. Lowrie, who set a club record with 49 doubles last year, is probably having the best year in his career. Lowrie is hitting a smidge under .290 and has 16 home runs and about 60 runs batted in so far.

The A’s have power guys up and down the lineup. Matt Olson, Matt Chapman, Mark Canha, Stephen Piscotty, Marcus Semien, and Khris Davis all are capable of sending a baseball into the stratosphere.

The catching chores are handled by Jonathan Lucroy and Josh Phegley. Lucroy doesn’t have much power, but he knows how to get the most from the pitching staff and has been invaluable to the A’s.

The A’s are on the right track. The big question right now as the trade deadline nears is whether the A’s will be sellers or buyers or will they do nothing? Many think the A’s need to make a move to get another quality starter. The price could be too high for Beane and Forst to make a move. The fans would be upset if the A’s traded any of their young stars. Many people speculate that the A’s might move Lowrie and play Barreto at second base.

Time will tell, and in the meantime, the team has to keep on winning.

That’s Amaury News and Commentary: Bay Bridge Series Set for Friday; Plus Other Rivalries

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Photo credit: @NBCSAuthentic

By: Amaury Pi-Gonzalez

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — The San Francisco Giants will host the Oakland Athletics on July 13, 14 and 15 as the A’s end their last road trip previous to the first half of the season.

After the All-Star break, both teams will play in their first series at the Oakland Coliseum. The two Bay Area franchises have celebrated anniversaries in 2018–the Giants’ 60 years playing in San Francisco since they moved from New York in 1958, and the A’s 50 years in Oakland since they moved from Kansas City, Mo., in 1968.

Today, it is called The Bay Bridge Series or the Battle of the Bay, but it was called the BART Series in the past.

The Oakland Coliseum and AT&T Park are separated by a bridge and a bay 16.2 miles apart. The only two cities in America that have two MLB teams within their city limits are New York and Chicago.

The Yankees vs. Mets rivalry is still going strong after they met for the first time 56 years ago. Back in 2000, these two New York teams were in the World Series. I remember the arguments in the streets of New York, where you have to pick one or the other–because in the Big Apple, you cannot be a fan of both the Mets and Yankees.

Anyways, the Cubs and White Sox both have long, storied histories and a rivalry that spans 100-plus years. It all started in the 1906 World Series when they first met, and the Cubs lost in six games.

There are other rivalries, but are much more geographically apart, and also in different cities like the LA Dodgers and LA Angels, Washington Nationals and Baltimore, and vice versa. Notice these are all American League vs. National League teams. There are others, but they are much far apart inside the same states, like, say, Kansas City Royals and St Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros and Texas Rangers, Miami Marlins and Tampa Bay Rays, etc. It takes hours by land or minutes by air to commute to those series. Of these, the only rivalry with a head-to-head World Series history was in 1985 when the Royals defeated the Cardinals in seven games.

The A’s and Giants met in one World Series in 1989 when the A’s swept the Giants, despite the uncertainty after the Loma Prieta earthquake interrupted the rivalry with a 6.9 intensity prior to Game 3 at Candlestick Park.

For those who were there, that was one of the most unforgettable moments of our lives. Overall, the A’s have won four World Series during their 50-year history in Oakland, while the Giants have won three during their 60 years in San Francisco. Prior to the start of this 2018 season, the odds for these two teams to win the World Series this year where; 200-1 for the Giants and 300-1 for the A’s.

The Giants and A’s met for the first time in the regular season in June 1997 for their first year of inter-league play. For many years, they have played previous to the regular season, but those have been exhibition games as part of Spring Training.

The Giants and A’s will have something more to play for when the two teams meet this year in the Bay Bridge Series during the regular season–an 18-inch steel trophy salvaged from the original eastern span of the bridge. The first three games will be at AT&T Park on July 13, 14, and 15, and the last three at the Oakland Coliseum on July 20, 21, and 22.

Some folks describe the A’s as a small market team, yet they play in the same Bay Area with seven million people like the Giants, yet they do not call the Giants a small market team. It always makes me question their logic.

But, Louis D. Brandeis, an American lawyer and associate justice to the Supreme Court of the United States, once said, “The logic of words could yield to the logic of realities.” He was right. In other words, the reality is that the A’s are not a small market team, but they would be if they were still playing in Kansas City. That, my amigos, is a small market.

AT&T Park notes: First game(s) were played from April 11-13 vs. Dodgers, who swept the Giants. The last three games of 1999 and the final three in Candlestick Park history were also against the rival Dodgers.

It’s hard to believe it happened 18 years ago. I was there to call those games, including the first Splash Hit into McCovey Cove in right field by Barry Bonds on May 1, 2000. The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company paid $50 million for the naming rights for 24 years, so it has been known as the PAC Bell Park and SBC Park before ATT Park.

Also, if you take a closer look at the Willie Mays statue by the main entrance on 2nd and King, there are inaugural bricks of Giants’ broadcasters who were there for the inaugural season in 2000.

Mine read, “For those who could not leave Cuba and enjoy big league beisbol.”

ATT Brick - short.PNG

Play Ball!

A’s continue to roll as they down Padres 4-2 for 2-game sweep

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND, Calif. — The A’s continue to play great baseball as they prevailed over the San Diego Padres 4-2 on the Fourth of July, Both teams played well, but in the end, the A’s were just a wee bit better.

A’s starter Sean Manaea did not figure in the decision, but had another strong pitching performance. Manaea went seven innings and allowed two runs and four hits. The Padres’ starter Luis Perdomo also pitched well. His line was 5 2/3 innings of work and he, too, allowed two runs and four hits.

The A’s won the game in the bottom of the eighth when they, as they have done so many times this season, were able to score late in the game. The A’s won for the eighth time in the last nine game and have won 14 of the last 17 as they move to a season-high nine games above the .500 mark with a record of 48-39.

The Padres scored two in the top of the second inning. Manaea issued a free pass to Hunter Renfroe. Padres’ rookie third baseman Christian Villaneuva homered to left field to give the Padres an early 2-0 lead. The A’s plated one in their half of the inning. With one out, Luis Perdomo walked Matt Olson. Right fielder Stephen Piscotty lined a ball into the gap in left-center-field to drive in Olson.

The A’s tied the game in the third. Josh Phegley walked to get things going. Dustin Fowler singled to put men on at first and second with no out. Perdomo struck out Matt Joyce for the first out. Jed Lowrie walked to load the bases. A’s DH Khris Davis followed with a solid single to left field to drive in Phegley. Matt Olson hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the inning.

The A’s scored twice in the bottom of the eighth. Jed Lowrie received a walk that started the rally. Khris Davis doubled to left. Lowrie stopped at third. The Padres issued an intentional walk to Matt Olson to load the bases. Piscotty made the Padres pay as he hit his third double of the game to drive in Lowrie and Davis.

The Padres escaped further damage when they retired Olson at home on a force out, and Villaneuva turned a line shot off Marcus Semien’s bat into a 5-4 double play to end the inning. The A’s lead 4-2 heading into the top of the ninth. A’s closer Blake Treinen gave up a couple of hits but was able to escape without any damage and recorded his twenty-second save of the season.

Game Notes: Stephen Piscotty had three doubles in the game to tie and Oakland A’s single-game record. Treinen’s has converted each of his last 19 save opportunities dating back to May 4th. Lou Trivino was the winning pitcher, and his record is now 7-1. Jose Castillo absorbed the loss. The line score for the A’s was four runs, six hits, and no errors. The Padres’ line was two runs, seven hits, and no errors.

Khris Davis extended his hit streak to seven games, the second highest such streak of the season…is 10-for-27 (.370) during this span. • Matt Joyce snapped a five-game hitting streak. Mark Canha went hitless to end his career high 11 game hitting streak.

A’s third baseman Matt Chapman made the defensive play of the day in the sixth inning. He stabbed a Hunter Renfroe smash that looked like it was heading into the left-field corner. He dived for the ball and snared and in one motion righted himself to start a 5-4-3 double play.

Time of game was a crisp two hours and 33 minutes and 14,408 people watched as the A’s won again.

Up Next: The A’s are off on Thursday as they travel to Cleveland to face the Indians at Progressive Field starting Friday night. Paul Blackburn (2-2, ERA 6.46) will pitch for Oakland, and Cleveland will counter with righty Carlos Carrasco (8-5, ERA 4.24). The game will start at 4:10 pm PDT.

A quick look at the upcoming A’s vs. Padres 2-game set in Oakland

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

The Oakland A’s will host the San Diego Padres for two games beginning Tuesday, July 3rd. The teams met in San Diego in mid-June, and the A’s won both games. They won the first game in dramatic fashion when with two out and two strikes, Stephen Piscotty homered to tie the game and then they won it on a Jed Lowrie blast.

The Padres are currently in last place in the NL West with a record of 37-49. The Padres are managed by Andy Green, and they have two former A’s stars on their coaching staff. The fans will welcome Mark McGwire and Matt Stairs back to the Coliseum. The Padres are in a rebuilding mode, and many of the players are not household names yet.

The Padres announced that lefty Clayton Richard will take the mound Tuesday night. Richard is 7-7 and has an ERA of 4.29. Richard has worked at least six innings in his last 10 outings. However, he lost his last start last week against the Texas Rangers. Chris Bassitt goes for Oakland. Bassitt is 1-3, and his ERA is 2.82. Bassitt beat the Detroit Tigers last Wednesday in Detroit. He went six innings and allowed no runs and just two hits. It was his best performance of the year. On Wednesday, Padres’ righty Eric Lauer will face off against the A’s ace Sean Manaea.

Padre players to keep an eye on will be first baseman Eric Hosmer, shortstop Freddy Galvis, infielders Cory Spangenberg and Christian Villaneuva. Villaneuva is hitting .294 and has 16 home runs and 39 RBIs to his credit. Outfielder Will Myers is off the DL, and the A’s pitchers will have to be careful not to make any mistakes while pitching to him. Other players to keep an eye on are Jose Pirela, Hunter Renfroe, Manuel Margot, and Travis Jankowski.

The A’s beat the Indians two out of three over the weekend and are 10-3 in the last 13 games. The A’s would like to sweep the Padres as they start a 10-game road trip in Cleveland on Friday. They play four in Houston and return to the Bay Area to finish the trip with three games with the San Francisco Giants.

The A’s are in third place in the AL West with a record of 46-39. The team has been playing well, and third baseman Matt Chapman is expected back Tuesday night from the 10-day DL. The A’s have shown that they can overcome deficits in the late innings of any game. They are playing with a lot of confidence. The A’s bullpen has been very good. They are the only team in baseball that has not lost after holding the lead after the seventh inning.

Tuesday’s game will start at 6 pm PDT. There will be a fireworks show after the game. There is nothing better than baseball, apple pie, fireworks, and the Fourth of July.

Blackburn Deals: A’s Win 5th Straight, 3-1 Over Indians

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Photo credit: sfexaminer.com

By Matthew Harrington

OAKLAND, Calif. — The potential All-Stars were great for the Oakland Athletics Friday night, but it was Antioch’s own Paul Blackburn that stood out the most in the A’s 3-1 win over the Cleveland Indians. Blackburn (2-2, 6.46 ERA) fired 6 1/3 innings of shutout ball to give the A’s the edge over the Central Division leaders at home.

Darkhorse MVP candidate Jed Lowrie continued to be the best player in baseball no-one is talking about, mashing his 14th homer of the season. Blake Treinen nailed down his 18th straight save and the A’s won their fifth-straight game. Marcus Semien and potential American League All-Star Khris Davis knocked in a run each. Francisco Lindor knocked in the Tribe’s lone run.

Matt Olson scored the first run after doubling with one out in the second inning. Semien then came up to the plate against Indians starter Trevor Bauer and, after taking a knuckle curve for a ball, slapped the next one into left field for a 1-0 lead.

Davis, who has openly mulled his participation in the Home Run Derby, jumped on Bauer early in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two outs and Matt Joyce on second, Davis took the first pitch he saw to left field for a run-scoring double. Bauer would finish off the inning and pitch two thirds of the seventh before coming out of the game after compiling eight strikeouts.

While Bauer (7-6, 2.45) was strong, he wound up the loser, thanks to Blackburn’s bounce back. In his previous outing, the righty went five innings while giving up six runs to the woeful Chiacgo White Sox. He was diealed in Friday, scattering three hits with five punch-outs in an outing that surely saved him from a trip to Nashville.

After Blackburn departed after 6 1/3 innings, Ryan Butcher took over. The Indians touched him up for one earned run on a double in the eighth by Lindor, but Lowrie tagged Zach McAllister in the bottom of the inning to preserve the two-run lead.

Treinen walked the tight rope in the ninth, opening the inning with a single to another MVP candidate, Jose Ramirez. Edwin Encarnacion mashed a ball to center field that looked like a game-tying shot, but his fly ran out of room and Mark Canha made the catch. Former Athletic Yonder Alonso struck out Rajai Davis walked. Jason Kipnis flew out to end the game and move the A’s seven games over .500.

Oakland sends Edwin Jackson to the hill Saturday in what already has been a historic season for the righty. By donning the Green and Gold, he tied Octavio Dotel for most teams played for with 13. He pitched well in his previous outing, holding the Detroit Tigers to one run over six innings. He’ll be opposed by Adam Plutko, who has gone 4-1 stepping into the rotation due to injuries to Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco.

My Favorite MLB Ballparks

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Photo credit: cleveland.com

By Jeremy Kahn

SAN FRANCISCO — After revealing my favorite MLB cities, I thought I would give you a list of my all-time favorite stadiums that I have covered games in, or went to as a fan since my first MLB game with my father on June 14, 1977.

Here goes the list of the ballparks that I have gone to over the past 41 seasons, and some of them, are no longer in existence.

1. AT&T Park: Yes, I am here on almost a daily basis, but this ballpark is amazing with its views of the East Bay Hills, Coca Cola Bottle and Glove in left field.

2. PNC Park: A very close second to AT&T Park, as their view of Downtown Pittsburgh is absolutely amazing and along the Three Rivers of the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio.

3. Wrigley Field: What is there not too like about Wrigley Field? Besides being the second oldest ballpark in the MLB, you have lots of baseball history there. Anywhere from the ivy-covered walls, to the scoreboard, and of course, Wrigleyville.

4. Fenway Park: The Green Monster, Pesky Pole and the short walls in right field is amazing. Outside of the park on Yawkey Way is very comparable to Wrigleyville.

5. Citizens Bank Park: This is an underrated ballpark in South Philadelphia, but I have enjoyed my three different trips there. The Liberty Bell that lights up when the Phillies hit a home run or win is way cool, and the Philadelphia skyline in the distance is cool.

6. Coors Field: Another one of the newer ballparks, but it has pizzazz with its views of the Rocky Mountains, a section of seats that shows that you are exactly 5,280 feet above sea level (Mile High) and the forest beyond the center field fence.

7. Dodger Stadium: This is the stadium where I saw my first Major League game on June 14, 1977 against the Pittsburgh Pirates, when I was five years old and my father took me there. The views of the San Gabriel Mountains beyond center field, and of course, the view of Downtown Los Angeles is pretty amazing as well.

8. Comerica Park: The sight lines are amazing, and the view of Downtown Detroit is amazing. You have Ford Field, the home of the Detroit Lions literally across the street. Also, you have to enjoy all the statues of the famous Tigers players as well.

9. Petco Park: An underrated ballpark in my opinion, but the park is real nice. Gotta enjoy the Western Offices beyond the left field and the Gaslamp Quarter is cool.

10. Citi Field: They did it right, as the incorporated old Ebbets Field into the Rotunda when you first walk in and the Mets Hall of Fame is way cool. Also, the William Shea Bridge is a nice touch in right field.

11. Yankee Stadium I: This is the House That Ruth Built for god sakes, 85 years of Yankee Baseball says enough. However, the names like Gehrig, DiMaggio, Mantle, Maris, Munson, Jackson and Jeter are not too shabby either. Bob Shepphard on the P.A. System and Monument Park were amazing as well.

12. Busch Stadium: Nice ballpark that replaced the cookie-cutter park that the Cardinals played in from 1966-2005. The view of the Gateway Arch and Big Mac Land are cool.

13. Nationals Park: Great park, never went to RFK Stadium, but this place is much better than the cookie cutter stadium that was mainly football stadium for the Redskins. The view of the United States Capitol is a great touch as well.

14. Globe Life Park: Went here as a fan in 1996, as it was the first of the new ballparks I went to and I thought it was great.

15. Yankee Stadium II: Does not have the same pizzazz as the Original, but it does have Monument Park and the Bleacher Creatures.

16. Chase Field: The Swimming Pool is a cool thing, especially since it is always hot there. The hangar like look to the ballpark is not bad.

17. Angel Stadium: Has changed on three different occasions in its history, and the current one is cool with its rock pile in center field and of course, the Big A sign. Have not been there since 1998.

18. Candlestick Park: Spent many days there as a fan in the 1990s, and then worked there for the final 13. However, this place had its aura as well, from the Giants to the 49ers onto the final concert by the Beatles on August 29, 1966.

19. Oakland Coliseum: Small crowds and an old stadium that needs to be replaced.

20. Kingdome: Went here twice as a kid in 1987, and it was the first dome I ever saw.

21. Marlins Park: I am a college football fan, and this place reminds me of the stadium that was once there, the Orange Bowl.

Astros complete sweep over the A’s with 7-3 rout

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros pounded the A’s 7-3 at the O.co Coliseum on Thursday afternoon to complete a three-game sweep.

The Astros were in complete control for the entire three games and showed everyone why they are one of the best teams in all of baseball. They have the best starting rotation in baseball, and their everyday lineup is loaded with hitters loaded with confidence. They won a World Championship last year, and they are intent on going back to the playoffs and trying to win the big prize for the second year in a row.

Justin Verlander started for Houston and the big righty cruised to his ninth win of the year. Oakland starter Frankie Montas was no match for the powerful Astros’ offense, and he absorbed his first loss of the season.

With two out in the first inning, the Astros put two runs on the board. Carlos Correa singled and scored on Yuli Guriel’s double off the wall in left field. Josh Reddick singled to drive in Guriel with the second run of the inning. Reddick was thrown out trying to go to second on the throw home.

In the bottom of the second, A’s designated hitter, Khris Davis, homered to make it a 2-1 game. For Davis, it was his 20th big fly of the year and his third–all solo jobs–in the last two games. Verlander settled down ,and retired the next three A’s hitters in order.

The Astros plated their run of the game in the third inning. With one out, Montas walked Jose Altuve. Atuve advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on Carlos Correa’s second single of the game to put the ‘Stros up 3-1.

The Astros’ offense continued the onslaught in the fourth. Montas retired the notorious A’s killer, Evan Gattis, for the first out. He then walked Marwin Gonzalez. Astros’ catcher Brian McCann slammed his fifth home run of the year into the seats in right field. The Astros lead 5-1 in the middle of the fourth.

In the top of the sixth, A’s third baseman Matt Chapman, who is a terrific fielder, had an inning that he would like to remove from his memory. Astros’ catcher Brian McCann hit a high pop up that Chappie lost in Oakland’s famous “high sky.” He couldn’t find the ball and when he did it bounced off his chest for an error. Tony Kemp followed with a smash that Chapman smothered but couldn’t make the play at first. The official scorer ruled it a hit. Alex Bregman hit a ground ball to Chapman Chapman stepped on third for the force out but his throw home sailed over Matt Olson’s glove. Kemp scored on the play and Bregman went to second. Chapman was charged with his second error of the inning. Jose Altuve doubled to drive in Bregman. A’s manager Bob Melvin walked to the mound and took the ball from Montas. Santiago Casilla retired the two Astros’ hitters necessary to end the inning. The score was 7-1 in favor of Houston.

Khris Davis led off the seventh with a high pop up that Astros’ first baseman Yuli Guriel could not find in the high sky. The ball dropped safely and Davis wound up on second base with a double. Matt Olson then took a Justin Verlander fastball into the right field bleacher for his 14th tater of the year and now trail the Astros 7-3.

The Astros’ manager A.J.Hinch used Chris Devenski in the 8th and Hector Rondon in the ninth as they shut down the A’s in order in each of the last two innings. Houston won 7-3.

Game Notes: With the win, the Astros improve to 45-25. The A’s are now one game under .500 with a mark of 34-35. Justin Verlander won his ninth game of the season while A’s starter Frankie Montas lost his first. Verlander went seven complete and allowed three runs and five hits. Montas pitched five and 1.3rd innings and was tagged for seven runs. Five were earned and two were unearned. Verlander is 9-2 and Montas is 3-1.

The Astros’ line score was seven runs on 13 hits and no errors. Brian McCann hit the Astros’ only home run.

All the A’s runs were the result of a home run. Khris Davis hit a solo job in the second and Matt Olson clobbered a two-run dinger in the seventh. The A’s scored three runs on five hits and they committed two errors on defense.

Thursday’s game with the Astros took two hours and 45 minutes.

13.009 fans were in attendance.

Up Next: The A’s finish the 10-game homestand with three games against the Los Angeles Angels.

The A’s Chris Bassitt (0-1, 1.29 ERA) will handle the pitching chores and he will be opposed by lefty Tyler Skaggs (5-4, 3.08 ERA).

Friday night’s game will start at 6:35 pm PDT.

There will be a fireworks show immediately after the game.

A’s call up Jake Smolinski, but Astros win in yet another laugher 13-5

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Photo credit: @Athletics

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros continued their dominance over the Oakland A’s once again as they won in a laugher 13-5 at O.co Coliseum on Wednesday night.

The Astros are now 7-1 against the A’s this season and have won 26 of the last 34 games played between the two teams. Houston has won all five games played here in Oakland, and they must just salivate when they get on the plane to face the A’s.

The Astros changed the words of the late mayor of Boston, James Curley, who once said, “Vote often and early” to score often and early. They plated three runs in the first and seven in the second. Their designated hitter, Evan Gattis, homered twice and drove in five runs as he waged war on the A’s pitchers. Gattis has three homers and 10 RBIs in two games played thus far. The A’s are likely hoping that Gattis will be too tired to play on Thursday.

The Astros continued their onslaught on the A’s pitching staff in the very first inning of the game. George Springer and Jose Altuve singled to get Houston going. Blackburn walked Carlos Correa to load the bases with no out. The cleanup hitter, Yuli Guriel, who leads the league in batting average (.444) with RISP (Runners in Scoring Position) singled to put two runs on the board for the Astros. Correa went to third on the play and scored on an Evan Gattis sacrifice fly. The Astros led 3-0 with the A’s coming to bat. The A’s didn’t score in their half.

The Astros sent 10 men to the plate in the top of the second. They had six hits and scored seven runs. A’s manager Bob Melvin had to go to the bullpen as the Astros had their attack in full gear. The Astros scored three times and had two men on with one out when Melvin brought in Emilio Pagan to face Evan Gattis. Gattis, who drove in five runs on Tuesday, slammed his 12th bomb of the year to put the Astros ahead 9-0. Marwin Gonzalez, playing third base, followed with his fifth homer to put the Astros in the lead 10-0 in the middle of the second inning.

In the bottom of the fourth, Oakland put three on the board. Khris Davis started the frame with a single. Gerrit Cole retired the next two hitters before walking Marcus Semien. A’s right fielder Stephen Piscotty took Cole deep for his fourth home run of the year to make it a 10-3 game.

The A’s continued to chip away at the lead as Khris Davis led off the bottom of the sixth with his 18th tater of the season. Cole escaped with no further damage. The A’s still have a long way to go to get back into the game as they trail 10-4 after six complete.

Gattis continued to punish Oakland pitching. He hit his second home run of the night on the first pitch from lefty Daniel Coulombe to make it 11-4. Gattis has faced Coulombe three times and has homered twice.

Melvin brought in outfielder Jake Smolinski to pitch the ninth. Smolinski was making his  Major League debut as a pitcher. Things did not go well for him as he gave up a double to Max Stassi and Jake Marisnick homered to give Houston the lead 13-5. Smolinski retired the next three hitters. The A’s went down in order in the ninth to end the game. The Astros won 13-5.

Game Notes and Info: With the win, the Astros improve to 44-25 and remain just 1/2 game behind the Seattle Mariners in the race for first place in the AL West. The Mariners beat the LA Angels earlier in the day.

Gerrit Cole was the winning pitcher. Cole is 8-1 for Houston this season. He went six innings and gave up six hits and four runs.

Two of the A’s hits were home runs by Stephen Piscotty and Khris Davis.

A’s starter Paul Blackburn had a very rough outing. He lasted just 1 1/3 innings. He gave up eight hits and was charged with eight runs. Emilio Pagan relieved him in the second inning, and Pagan gave up back-to-back home runs to Evan Gattis and Marwin Gonzalez. The hitting stars for Oakland were Khris Davis with two homers and Stephen Piscotty with a three-run blast. Blackburn’s record is now 1-1, and his ERA rocketed from 1.50 to 11.05.

There were just 9,164 fans in the park watching, and the game took three hours and five minutes to play.

Up Next: The two teams conclude the three-game series Thursday afternoon at 12:30 pm PDT.

Oakland will send Frankie Montas to the Hill. Montas has won all three of his starts since being recalled from Nashville, and he has a 1.25 ERA.

Justin Verlander (8-2, 1.45 ERA) will pitch for Houston.

World Series champion Astros beat the A’s 6-3

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Photo credit: @astros

By Jerry Feitelberg

OAKLAND — The Houston Astros continued their mastery over the A’s as they defeated them 6-3 and improved to a 6-1 advantage this season.

Astros starter Lance McCullers worked seven innings and gave up just five hits and two runs. He gave up singles to the first two hitters and three doubles to Matt Chapman. None of the other A’s hitter could solve McCullers’ slants.

A’s starter Daniel Mengden, who was pounded in his last start against the Texas Rangers last week, couldn’t make it out the fifth inning Tuesday night.

The Astros’ Evan Gattis, who has killed the A’s in the past, was the hitting star for Houston with a home run and a double that drove in five of the Astros’ six runs.

In the bottom of the first, Oakland took an early 1-0 lead. Leadoff hitter Dustin Fowler singled to get things going. Marcus Semien reached on an infield single. Jed Lowrie hit into a 4-6-3 double play. Fowler advanced to third and scored when McCullers uncorked a wild pitch.

In the top of the second, the Astros vaunted offense came to life as they rocked Mengden for four runs on four hits, two of which went out of the park, and two walks. Astros’ shortstop Carlos Correa sent Mengden’s first pitch into the seats in left field to tie the game. Yuli Guriel doubled, and Mengden walked Josh Reddick to put men on at first and second with no one out. Designated hitter Evan Gattis, who has murdered A’s pitching in the past, hit his 11th of the year to put the Astros ahead 4-1. Mengden was able to get out of the inning without any further damage. The A’s put their second run of the night on the board in their half of the inning. The A’s third baseman Matt Chapman doubled to start the inning. He went to third on a groundout and scored on Stephen Piscotty’s sacrifice fly to center field. The A’s trailed 4-2 after two innings.

The Astros plated two more runs in the top of the fifth. With one out, Mengden walked Carlos Correa. He retired Yuli Guriel for the second out, but gave up a single to Josh Reddick and a double to Evan Gattis. Two runs scored on the play and A’s manager Bob Melvin removed Mengden from the game. Lefty Danny Coulombe retired Brian McCann for the final out of the inning.

Mengden’s pitching line was not very good. He allowed eight hits, six runs all earned, and was tagged for two home runs in just 4 2/3 innings of work.

The A’s plated their third run of the night, thanks to Collin McHugh’s wildness and an error by Carlos Correa. With one out, McHugh plunked Jed Lowrie with a pitch. Khris Davis reached on Correa’s error to put men on at first and second with one out. McHugh struck out Matt Olson for the second out. The next hitter Matt Chapman, who had three consecutive double, was hit on the wrist to load the bases. A’s manager Bob Melvin, and the trainer raced out to first base to see if Chapman was okay. After he was checked by the trainer, Chapman stayed in the game. Mark Canha followed with a single to drive in Lowrie. Houston brought in Brad Peacock to fave Stephen Piscotty. Peacock, the former athletic, struck out Piscotty for the third out. Houston has a 6-3 advantage after eight innings.

Astros’ closer Ken Giles gave up a single to Dustin Fowler, but was still able to record the three outs necessary to end the game and earn his 11th save of the year as Houston wins 6-3.

Game Notes: With the win, the Astros–who are in a battle for first place in the AL West with the Seattle Mariners–improved to 43-25.

The A’s dropped to 34-31. Oakland is now 10-22 against the AL West and 24-11 against the rest of the AL.

Lance McCullers was the winning pitcher and is now 8-3 for the season.

Daniel Mengden absorbed the loss, and his record dropped to 6-6.

Astros’ Ken Giles recorded his 11th save.

The line score for Houston was six runs, 11 hits, and one error.

The A’s line was three runs, seven hits, and no errors.

Time of the game was two hours and 57 minutes and 11,742 fans watched the A’s go down to a defeat.

Up Next: Game two of the three-game series will be played Wednesday night at the Coliseum. The A’s Paul Blackburn will make his second start of the year. Blackburn will be going against Gerrit Cole, who owns a 7-1 record and a sparkling 2.16 ERA.